NIGERIA DEMOCRACY: A MERE ARTISTIC COLOURATION OF KLEPTOCRACY - BY BABATUNDE F. EMMANUEL

The agitations of Nigerians to have the paradigm shifted to a belief system in which there exists a political freedom and equality birthed the spirit of democracy in Nigeria. In the light of this, Karl Marx once said "Democracy is the road to socialism", but Nigeria philosophy of democracy which ought to authenticate this believe system and drift the nation into social equality, collective decision-making, equitable distribution of resources based on contribution (as in practice of true federalism) seems not to resonate with Marx's ideology.

The rise of  indigenous public administration that translated to the first practice of democracy in 1960, the return to democracy in 1999 as well as the discovery of crude oil are the major events perceived to have led to the litany of perverted democracy in the country. Over the years, the country has seen its wealth withered by those whose  chiefly status and personal gains at the expense of the governed are their obsession.

These few selfish democratic politicians whom have been successively restricted into a cubicle of predictability precariously renders average citizens with little to show in living conditions. No wonder Friedrich Nietzsche said "A politician divides mankind into two classes: tools and enemies".

A Nigerian political leader, Obafemi Awolowo  once raised a salient issue when he said, since independence, our governments have been a matter of few holding the cow for the strongest and most cunning to milk, under those circumstances, everybody runs over everybody to make a good at the expense of others. This view is what has degenerated into recent disregard for public property and lack of public trust and concern for public goods as a collective national property.

Consequently, a graphic account and historical perspective of this perverted democracy in Nigeria and how it emanated and evolved to the tune of becoming the thorn in the flesh of Nigeria is elucidated herein. While one would say that, military is the major obstacles of democratic stability in Nigeria because of the aggregate of thirty seven years of military rule out of the approximately sixty years of independence, it is also imperative to add that, democracy it self has prevented the cultivation of democratic culture and values by Nigerians.

The big question here is that, after the transition of power from the military to democracy in 1999, has the fundamental problems of the nation been solved?
The eight years of President Obasanjo's regime and the successful transition to Umaru Yar'Adua as well as transition to Goodluck  Jonathan to the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari  partly answered this but indeed, the trend has not really changed.

This is an indication that, democratic politicians, whether the new or the old breed that has clamoured for Change in the nation have not adequately prepared and have no change of mindset when it comes to power. They often fail to relate with the opinion of Napoleon Hill that says, "Before you can control conditions, you must first control yourself".

Evidently, there is no indication that politicians are willing to change the narrative. During Babangida's era for example, corruption, inflation of manifested voters register as a prelude of election rigging; bribery of election officials and voters; political violence during election was the order of the day. All these are by no means different in our democratic experience today. Although President Obasanjo attempted to tackle corruption but his claim of anti-corruption war became hypocritical and a cover-up plan for his personal aggrandizement as a he never left power with clean hands.

President Yar'Adua, seeing all these confrontations of our democracy, promised to restore hope during his tenure by reforms, as he himself attested to the fact that, the election that brought him in as the president was not free and fair. Although he never completed his regime due to death, his successor Goodluck Jonathan who tried to consolidate on his work by his approach to fighting corruption through the so called 'Rule of Law' just demonstrated his inability to take on the bull by the horn. Even the reform agenda never went beyond 2011 general elections. The few elections conducted after then have all been a display of Shame. Sadly, Jonathan's era witnessed enormous corruption that, the nation needed a ray of hope and someone who could salvage the tragic situation.

Against all odds, President Muhammadu Buhari with is acclaimed integrity and anti- corruption stance was brought to power as the ray of hope that Nigerians clamoured for. With his anti-corruption campaign and 'I belong to every body and belong to no body' slogan, it appears as if corruption has just been worn a coat of many colours as the tides of our democracy is undulated by lack of 'Rule of Law, lack of fairness exhibited by preference being given to a particular tribe over another or show of favour to one group of people than another, lack of transparency of governance, dictatorship and most importantly, personal aggrandizement. What other hope for our democracy when the politicians only run a personal race of aggrandization among several challenges of the nation?

Hitherto, the dividend of our democracy is erratic power supply, poor road, network, infrastructure decay, insecurity, poor health care system, poverty, unemployment, corruption in its entirety, ethno- religious ill feelings and other miscellaneous problems which is by no means different from the military rule. Sadly, nothing has been done to extinct these failures in our system.


The truth relative to these menace in our democracy is that the politicians faces are filled with LAUGHTER while that of the masses are filled with HUNGER. These kleptocratic politicians masquerading as democratic leaders compels citizens to resonate with the audacity of late Fela Anikulapo Kuti's who perceived Nigeria democracy as a mere "Demonstration of Craze". An average Nigerian often  relate with this in that, it is a crazy  phenomena, how  democracy has worsened to the tune of having 'Suffering and Smiling Citizens'.

From the foregoing, it is clear that nothing has really changed from the way the military exercised their powers and how civilian rule dispenses its democracy. While all problems remained and corruption by democracy dispensers (Politician) grows rapidly, it is logical to conclude that, our profoundly celebrated democracy is more of artistic colouration of kleptocracy.

Nevertheless, while Nigerians hope for a time when the leadership is going to be able to hold people accountable and really make meaningful changes, it is clear now that rather than having a change, what we have is just and exchange in that, we just change the faces of the political players while retaining the political ideology. God bless Nigeria.

BABATUNDE F. EMMANUEL IS THE VICE CHAIRMAN OF CONGRESS OF NIGERIA YOUTH (CONYO) IN NORTH CENTRAL

You can email Emmanuel at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @EmmyCool_Babs.